On This Day Pre-Y2K
Confused by any of the jargon you see below? Check the Y2K Glossary!
February 15, 1999 Permalink
Alan Simpson brought the posting by Richard Maltup concerning a suicide to avoid being interviewed by my production company to my attention this morning and I must respond.
Like a good many things reported regarding Y2K, it has a measure of truth to it but lacks the full story. There was an incident during the filming where an engineer with a utility did commit suicide on the morning that he was scheduled to be interviewed but we later learned that he had left a note indicating that the event was triggered by problems he had been having with his wife.
And not only did his company provide an interview but also did extensive follow up with us to document their Y2K compliance.
As for comments about providing the documentary on our web site for free...I hope that everyone will understand that we have a significant investment in the production of this documentary and cannot simply “give it away”.
I hope that it will be judged on it’s own merits and not by sensational stories that may be circulated on discussion groups. It was a serious undertaking with months of research and hard work by a great many people.
We produced this documentary with the sincere intention of telling the whole story without prejudice. As I have stated before, I entered into this expecting to make an “expose” of the entire thing. Only to discover that the truth was much more serious.
While we appreciate those who have liked the program and encourage debate and dicussion about it contents, it is also only fair that people question ANYONE who stands to profit from Y2K, including myself or Ed Yourdon for that matter.
This video is an attempt at a producing a serious work devoid of the whole “UFO” mentality that seems to be a large part of the Y2K awareness movement. It certainly does not deserve to be lumped in with the “black helicopters” of this world.
If further clarification is needed or if you have questions, please feel free to bring them directly to my attention. Thanks to everyone who sent this posting to me.
Les Rayburn, director Millennium Factor: The Truth About Y2K
—Les Rayburn, Time Bomb 2000 Forum (LUSENET), 02/15/99
People ask me, “Jack, aren’t you afraid the government will come and take your food and supplies?”
To be perfectly honest, I think I have more to fear from an unruly mob of neighbors or acquaintances than I do from the government. These are the people who are likely to show up unexpected and become upset when I do not provide for them. This, perhaps, is the advantage of Captain Dave’s plan to bug out for a retreat in the mountains compared to my plan to stay at home.
I have no doubt that I could kill a man to protect myself and my family. And if that means shooting a man before he can throw a Molotov cocktail, than so be it. What will be harder will be turning away a hungry family with small children, especially in month four of a societal decay that has no end in sight. If we have enough supplies, I will stock grain and other items to give to these poor beggars, on the condition that this is a one-time gift and that they keep moving.
But the government, on the other hand, is another matter. By the time they know of my food, I expect the problem will be over. Will they be able to search the computer records if the computers are down? Will they be able to muster the force required to take me, my family and out guests from our house while all about them the world is coming apart at the seams? Why will they want me in their “shelter” or prison camps, straining their limited resources, when I am fine at my own home? Will robbing my few buckets of grain be a priority when the grocery store, K-Mart and countless restaurants are just five to 10 miles away? I think an executive order is much more likely to be enforced on a grocery store or bakery that can feed people for weeks or months than it is on my small horde.
—Jack, Diary of a Survivalist, 02/15/99
